FORTVILLE — For the first time in a few years, the Mt. Vernon girls basketball team isn’t in the preseason top 20 coaches polls.
A 20-, 22- and 19-game winning program and two-time sectional champion since 2019, Mt. Vernon received some votes in the recent Indiana Basketball Coaches Association’s rankings, but nothing more.
For Marauders’ veteran head coach Julie Shelton, there’s no disrespect taken. If anything, her team’s placement, according to the pollsters — or lack thereof — is just fine.
When you lose four starters to graduation, including 2020-21 Hancock County Player of the Year Lexi Shelton, you have to start from the ground up. It only makes sense, and it’s re-ignited Shelton’s enthusiam for teaching the game.
Though, there isn’t much choice in the matter either.
“I was teasing, but I told the girls the other day, I’ve done more coaching in two weeks then I’ve done most of last year and the year before as far as teaching everything because everybody pretty much knew our sets and everything else. It was just fine-tuning and making adjustments and game planning more than teaching the basics,” Shelton said. “I feel like we’ve had to teach the basics a lot the past couple of weeks.”
In regards to returning starters, only 6-foot-2 guard Ellery Minch reprises her role from last year’s 19-6 squad, which reached the regional tournament finals. As a sophomore, Minch enters her second varsity season as the team’s offensive focal point after averaging 7.4 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game.
From there, several bench contributors in 2020-21 will be called upon to help offset the departures of Lexi Shelton (15.0 ppg), Olivia Yeley (8.9 ppg), Abby Worley (7.7 ppg) and Riley Hasseld (3.6 ppg).
“We have a lot of holes to fill, but we have some very capable players to do that,” Julie Shelton said. “I think, the biggest thing is going to be finding the depth. Finding numbers five through 10 that can help, and that’s going to be a lot of young kids that don’t have a lot of experience. Also, just trying to figure out roles, which will be a big part of the beginning of this season.”
A year ago, seniors Shay Shipley, a 5-8 guard, and Maddie Swingle, a 5-9 forward, primarily provided a spark as reserves. Now, the NCAA Division-I soccer commits will be key pieces to the starting rotation with the former working at the point.
“The two or three that are back will have completely different roles compared to last year,” Shelton said. “It will be different for them. I believe, they are completely capable, but there are going to be growing pains to learn those roles.”
Shipley, a Northern Kentucky recruit, proved last season to be a factor across the board, averaging 2.6 points, 1.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per contest. Swingle, a Cincinnati recruit, was a force in the post as a junior, averaging 3.9 rebounds, 1.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 4.4 points.
The other starting spots will go to junior Khloe Patterson, a 5-9 forward, who transferred from New Palestine, and 5-9 senior forward Alaina Nugent (2.5 ppg).
“It’s a great group of girls. They’re fantastic kids and work hard. They want to figure it out,” Shelton said. “We start right off with Whiteland, Franklin (on Thursday) and Warren Central (on Saturday), so we’ll see real quick where we’re at this week.”
Beyond identifying their strengths and weakness through the season’s first wave, the Marauders are planning to utilize the early goings of the eight-game, non-conference schedule to situate their revamped bench mob.
Senior Riley Britt, a 5-8 guard, was projected to be the team’s sixth or seventh player, but a knee injury suffered during the soccer season has her sidelined. In her place, 5-10 sophomore forward Easton Wampler, a standout softball catcher, could be the ideal replacement.
Along with Wampler, Shelton will turn to 5-4 junior guard Janaiah Wilson and 5-7 sophomore guard Kaitlyn Laffey to provide depth.
Other than Nugent, Shipley, Swingle and Britt, the Marauders have no other seniors but do showcase three juniors, four sophomores and one freshman, 5-8 guard Kanyonrae Kenny, on the varsity roster.
The loss of five seniors from 2020-21 is a big reason why the Marauders aren’t being viewed at as a threat to repeat as Hoosier Heritage Conference champions or vie for the Class 4A Sectional 9 title.
Again, that’s not a problem for Shelton, who is entering her 21st season at Mt. Vernon with a career record of 332-134.
“To be honest, it’s kind of fun. I like being the underdog more than I like being on top. I like trying to become the top dog and get better. Seeing how far you can come from beginning to end. I think that’s a fun thing to do, but I do wish I was just 21 and not in my 21st year of coaching,” Shelton laughed.
Though, with a new-look group this season, Shelton admits to feeling a youthful infusion, so to speak, as a coach with seven sectional, three regional, two semistate and a 3A state title to her credit.
“I’m really excited about this year. We have some fun pieces coming back. Some athletes, that if I can get them into the system, we can really be really good,” Shelton said. “And then, looking back, I think I kind of guarded myself more with having Lexi in that past group. Maybe because it’s your own kid and you want to treat everyone the same, and that class had been together so long, so I wanted them to be successful. This year seems different. I’m back to being me.”
2021-22 Mt. Vernon Girls Basketball Roster
No.;Player;Pos.;Ht.;Yr.
4;Alaina Nugent;G;5-9;Sr.
10;Shay Shipley;G;5-8;Sr.
12;Ellery Minch;G/F;6-2;So.
14;Kanyonrae Kenny;G;5-8;Fr.
20;Khloe Patterson;F;5-9;Jr.
21;Victoria Jenson;F;5-9;Jr.
22;Janiah Wilson;G;5-4;Jr.
25;Riley Britt;G;5-8;Sr.
31;Easton Wampler;G/F;5-10;So.
32;Kaitlyn Laffey;G;5-7;So.
35;Savannah Jouppi;G;5-3;So.
41;Madison Swingle;F;5-9;Sr.
Head Coach: Julie Shelton (21st year at school, 332-134 career record)
Varsity Assistant Coach: Tom Kirby
Junior Varsity Head Coach: Kim Clark
Freshman Head Coach: Jess Brown
